“Pretend what we may, the whole man within us is at work when we form our philosophical opinions.”

— William James

1880s, The Sentiment of Rationality (1882)
Context: Pretend what we may, the whole man within us is at work when we form our philosophical opinions. Intellect, will, taste, and passion co-operate just as they do in practical affairs; and lucky it is if the passion be not something as petty as a love of personal conquest over the philosopher across the way.

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William James246

American philosopher, psychologist, and pragmatist 1842–1910

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“Pretend what we may, the whole man within us is at work when we form our philosophical opinions.”

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